Marin Voice: Environmental pluses of America's Cup races

AS A PERSON whose livelihood and personal passion depends on boats, I found myself cheering at the finish of the America's Cup, not only because of the incredible comeback story we had just witnessed, but also for the victory for our precious San Francisco Bay.

The America's Cup demonstrated that you can host a colossally sized event on the water and do it in an environmentally responsible way.

Given the magnitude and pressure of this event, this was no small feat. And while the record-breaking sports story will live on for years to come, it is the environmental legacy of this event that we can also be incredibly proud of.

Jill Savery, head of Sustainability for the America's Cup, whose credentials include the London Olympics, spearheaded the exhaustive process to ensure nothing was left to chance on land or on the water.

Her vision for how to "leave no trace" at this event, let alone the successful implementation of this at such a grand scale, are to be congratulated.

I had the opportunity to serve on the Clean Regattas Review Board for the event, a group of independent third parties brought together to verify that event organizers did their utmost to reduce the environmental impact.

From best practices in food preparation, waste management and innovative recycling and reuse strategies to monitoring the fueling process with boats and providing strict guidelines for oil spill prevention, the list of specific environmental requirements the event delivered on were astounding. Not to mention the accessibility of the race across so many mediums that made viewing this event possible without even getting in a car.

During the event, I walked the site of the event with Jill one Sunday morning. As I watched her chase down a scrap of paper that had blown onto the pier, I witnessed leadership in action.

Her example and commitment to environmental sensitivity as the highest priority translated to the more than 700 volunteers and staff who were trained as stewards for the operations of the event.

Among a very long list of requirements, this included screening for and eliminating single-use water bottles with abundant water refilling stations in their place.

While this race had its share of drama from beginning to end — behind-the-scenes and on-camera — that is the nature of the America's Cup.

Contributing to the drama unfolding in San Francisco even before the boats got into the water was the total fear of the unknown. Specifically, the uncertainty of just how bad and far-reaching the environmental impact would be on our beloved natural resources.

In the end, the environmental results were far more positive than even the biggest detractors could take issue with. This includes the implementation of innovative practices we never would have thought possible several years ago when plans for the Cup were unfolding.

Even without the stunning victory at the finish line, we still would have come away with a very strong template for how to run an event responsibly.

Lucky for us, we also got to keep the Cup.

Paul Kaplan of Tiburon is co-owner of KKMI, which has boat yards and yacht sales in Sausalito and Point Richmond.